MASH: Stay Awake
by dolphinrain
Summary: This is the same story as before but computer issues deleted the original and I had to start over. Hope you like just the same as it is now complete. Simple trip to Kempo turns dangerous.


M*A*S*H-Stay Awake

Disclaimer: I own nothing from MASH except my set of DVDs and a copy of Gary Burghoff's autobiography.

Contains tiny references to the episode The Nurses. Minor character crossovers from Hawaii Five-O, The Lost World and The Manchurian Candidate.)

This is the same sas before but now complete. Computer issues deleted the original but I hope you enjoy this just the same.

Margaret Houlihan shook her head as she slowly sat up. She couldn't bite back the small moan when she put weight on her left wrist to balance herself. Sitting up she looked at the wrist and felt it with her other hand. Fortunately it didn't seem broken...merely sprained. Other than her wrist she felt only bruised and achy. Slowly she looked around to understand how she got here.

She recognized the few bags scattered across the ground for they were hers. Then she recalled she'd been returning from Kempo airbase after spending a weekend in Tokyo attending a nurses conference. There hadn't been an available jeep heading for the 4077 and a call had been sent. Col. Potter had assured her he'd send a jeep as soon as possible. A short time after the call Corporal O'Reilly had found her in the waiting area. He'd offered without being ordered to help her with her bags. After the busy weekend it had been nice to see a familiar friendly face.

Right now Margaret couldn't see or hear the corporal...the jeep was on its side, the front pushed against a brace of trees. She had closed her eyes on the way back to the camp but had heard a startled yelp from the corporal then the next thing there was the explosion of shells, a violent swerving of the vehicle. She must have blacked out because she couldn't recall anything after the yell and the explosion.

She looked toward the jeep and realized she had yet to see or hear Radar. The jeep was on it's driver side, tall grass mowed down by the vehicle.

"Corporal?" She called out as she slowly got to her feet. Somewhere she'd lost the brown heels she'd worn with her dress uniform. "O'Reilly?"

There was no answer.

"Radar?" She shouted

"Ma...major?" She was relieved to hear his voice but it concerned her as she heard the thickness in his voice.

"Where are you?" She asked moving toward the sound of his voice.

"By the jeep, ma'am, sir," he answered. She didn't like the tone of his voice...it sounded strained. It occurred to her something must be wrong if he were awake why he hadn't come to find her.

She made her way around to the driver's side of the jeep but didn't see him. The front of the jeep was completely smashed, folded in on itself. She made to step around the mangled metal but stopped short when he spoke again.

"Please, don't step on me, ma'am," he said.

She looked down to see him on his back on the ground. He was looking up at her through broken glasses. There was a deep cut on his left temple and blood on the side of his face but his gaze was steady as she knelt beside him in the grass.

"Are you hurt, ma'am?" He asked as she knelt beside him.

"Just a few bruises," she smiled at him. The fact that he was making no attempt to get to his feet disturbed her. "What about you?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I can't get out from under here. My legs and hand are pinned.."

It was then she realized the jeep was lying across his waist, effectively immobilizing him.

(End chapter one)

He tried pushing himself backward on the ground but yelped loudly. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Don't try that again, Corporal," she ordered sternly. She tried lying down to get a better look but all she could see was the mangled dash and side of the car. It looked like it was resting on his hips but she couldn't see underneath.

"Can you feel your legs?" She asked, as she slipped into full nurse mode. "Can you move your toes?"

"I can't move anything," he said worriedly. He looked up at her with fear. "I can't feel anything or move anything. My...my head hurts a little, too. I got a rock under my back, too that's digging into me."

She tugged off the cap that had somehow stayed put. Margaret tried not to show any worry when she saw blood.

"Can you turn your head?" She asked.

It took a moment for him to comply.

"It doesn't look serious, thank goodness," she said with relief but she knew any head injury could be more serious than it seemed.

Margaret looked around the jeep her eyes trying to find anything that would be of use. There wasn't much she could do to free him from under the car. She saw the jeep's emergency kit and the radio.

"I'm sorry," she heard him say as she rummaged through the bag.

"What are you sorry for?"

"For crashing us. I tried to avoid the shells but one went of right in front of us so I swerved...we went off the road...I only heard it a few seconds before it hit right in front so I didn't have any time..."

Margaret again looked around. From this position she couldn't even see the road...only a path the jeep must have torn as it crashed through. She could hear no trucks or gunfire and was grateful there were no shells exploding.

"How far from camp do you think we are?" She asked him as she took a handkerchief from her bag to press against the head injury.

"A couple of miles," he answered wincing as she dabbed at the cut. "They're expecting us back within the hour..."

"I'm going to try the jeep's radio.

"Major, is that you?" Klinger answered instantly. For once he was glad to hear the sharp tongued reply then she asked for the colonel. He yelled for Potter whom he knew was in his office. "Major Houlihan is on the radio!"

Potter hurried to take the microphone from the displaced Toledo native. His face showed the anxiety he was feeling. Both Margaret and Radar were due back long already.

"Major, where are you? You should have been back by now," he couldn't keep the worry from mixing with his relief at hearing her voice.

"We're a few miles west of the camp," her voice crackled through the static. "We've had an accident. We went off the road during some shelling."

"Are you alright?" Potter replied.

"I'm mostly uninjured. I may have broken my wrist but otherwise a little bruised. But O'Reilly is pinned under the jeep. I can't tell how badly he's injured but...he's shocky...he may also have a concussion...I have no way of getting him free."

"Do you know exactly where you are?"

"I'm afraid not. We were on our way back from Kempo airbase. Everything happened so fast. I do know we are off the road in a gully." She paused before continuing. In a quieter voice she added," I can't tell for certain how bad Radar is but he says he can't feel his legs. We need to get him to camp as soon as possible. "

"We'll have a search party there before you know it," Potter replied.

Potter ordered Klinger to contact the nearest US units to aid in the search. They had heard reports from a unit nearby of shelling on the main route from Kempo then when the Major and the Corporal were late returning he'd dreaded there might be a report of casualties. Relief had nearly overwhelmed him upon hearing Margaret's voice but there had been a quiet urgency in her words when she spoke of Radar. Worry put strength into his footstep as he hurried to the mess tent to find the doctors and Mulcahy.

"There's been an accident," he told them. "I need a search and rescue team to assist in locating Major Houlihan and Corporal O'Reilly. I just spoke with the Major."

"Are they alright?" Mulcahy was first to ask.

"The major says she's bruised with a possible broken wrist but otherwise unharmed. But...Radar's pinned under the jeep...he's not doing too well. I need one of you doctors to go along with the team to give first aid."

"

Margaret searched through her bags to find clean clothes. She found a jacket to slip into and a thin blanket in the jeep's emergency kit. She unfolded the Army green blanket and covered the corporal. She did a quick check of his vitals and didn't like his low blood pressure. She was now certain he was more injured than she initially believed...more than perhaps he himself knew.

She gently rested his head in her lap and reached to take his free hand in hers. Right now he wasn't an enlisted person whom she outranked...rather an injured young man she couldn't do much to help. She was frustrated that there wasn't more she could do for him.

"Cpl, talk to me," she said getting as comfortable as she could. "Do you remember once telling me I reminded you of your sister?"

His eyes struggled to open but finally he looked up at her. He tried to recall what he'd said to her then nodded.

"Why do I remind you of her?" She asked smiling.

"I w...won't get in trouble?" He asked in a thick voice.

"No."

"Promise?"

She smiled at the familiar awkwardness. "Promise," she replied.

"Cause she's real pretty. Smart, too."

Margaret smiled at that.

"S...sometimes she tries t...to be all tough but she...she cares about p...people."

His face seemed to grow sad. "She and m...me are the only two kids to make it. There was..a still...born before me, too."

Margaret wasn't expecting that. She'd known his father died when Radar was barely a toddler but not that he'd even had a brother.

"My...brother was lots o...older 'n me. He was a lot like Hawkeye."

Radar shook his head slightly.

"I...I don't want to...t...talk about it."

"Tell me about your Uncle Ed."

"I do don't feel like talkin... I feel t tired ..."

Margaret felt alarm rising in her as his words became more slurred...She squeezed his hand in hers.

"I know you're tired but you need to stay awake, Radar."

"I'm, I'm trying to..."

"I know you are." She glanced around as she felt the chill in the air, early evening was falling and there was still no sign of any rescue. It had been at least a few hours since the accident occurred and since she'd contacted Col. Potter.

She suddenly felt Radar stiffen and looked down at him. His head was cocked at a slight angle and his eyes wide open. He was listening...she knew.

"What do you hear?" She asked.

"Tires...a car...no a truck." He looked up at her. "Maybe...can't tell if it's one...one of ours..."

"How could you know if it's one of ours or not?" She asked. She'd seen his unique hearing in action many times but it always amazed her.

"Don't know. Just do..."

"Have you always had this ability?"

"I guess." His mouth frowned. "I...I got picked on for it...when I went to school I would tell the teacher we should stay inside cause it was going to rain. She wouldn't usually listen to me and we'd get wet. Most of the kids wouldn't bother with me cause they thought I was a freak or something...I usually kept my mouth shut cept round my mom and uncle Ed.

"C-Colonel Blake was the first to...to see what I could do and not laugh at...at me. Made me think I had something special... You know, when I enlisted I wanted to be in the signal corps..."

"You'd be good at that." She told him with genuine enthusiasm.

"Y...you know I sometimes think he's still around..."

"Who?"

"Col. Blake."

Margaret stared at him, wondering if he'd lost his sanity somehow but he continued.

"I'm not...not crazy," he murmured, opening one eye to stare firmly at her. "I just sometimes think I can hear him or catch just glimpses of him...or I'll be in my office and smell his old cigars but I know no one's there."

Margaret thought of a time she'd thought she smelled the cigars. She wouldn't admit to it but she recalled as she was about to marry Donald that she felt a hand on her shoulder, not threatening, but a gentle brush but there had been no one around.

She shook herself of the memory to focus on the present.

"What are your plans for when you go home, Radar?" She asked but instead she felt pressure on her fingers as he gripped her hand.

"Someone's coming," he said, shivering slightly. "But...but I'm ...c-cold."

"Margaret?"

Margaret didn't recall many times she'd been glad to hear Captain Pierce's voice. She lifted her head as she heard the approaching sounds of boots trampling grass and leaves. Hawkeye was near the front of a few soldiers nearing the site of the wreck.

"Here," she called out. She smiled as she looked down. But the smile faded when she looked into the closed grey eyes. "O'Reilly. Open your eyes...now. That's an order."

She gently patted his cheek when he didn't open his eyes. But she did feel a slight pressure on her fingers as he weakly squeezed them.

"Margaret?" She started at the touch on her shoulder.

Gathering her wits, she gazed into Hawkeye's face.

"We need to get him out of here now," she said as he knelt beside them. "He's in shock, possibly hypothermic. In and out of consciousness...there's internal bleeding in his abdomen. I'm certain."

"The second we get the jeep off we wrap him and run," Hawkeye told the rescuers.

" Hawkeye, grab his shoulders and slide him out as soon as we lift," Sgt. McGarrett instructed.

Hawkeye hooked his arms under Radar's shoulders as Sgt. Steve McGarrett, Lt. Edward Malone and Sgt. Shaw prepared to lift. Margaret busied herself by readying the first aid supplies they'd brought.

"3...2...1. Lift!"

As they lifted and Hawkeye pulled, Radar jerked into full awareness and he screamed, startling them all into freezing. He feebly grabbed at the hands holding him. Hawkeye nearly cringed. He'd never heard his friend scream. It was a sound he never wanted to hear again.

"Stop! Stop!" Hawkeye exclaimed at the soldiers who'd already hesitated. "Radar, what's wrong?"

"The...there's s...something g...going through m...my leg...when you lift...my...l...leg caught..."

Shaw was already on his belly with a flashlight. He squinted and tried to feel the indicated leg. When he withdrew his hand they could see the blood in the flashlight's beam.

"Radar, why didn't you tell me?" Margaret scolded him.

He lightly shook his head but closed his eyes again before he could respond.

"Okay, hold it," Shaw interrupted. "There's a piece of metal stabbing him. When we started sliding him it cut a huge gash. We're going to need to lift the jeep straight up. If you slide him again it's going to rip him wide open. "Shaw frowned as he sat back on his heels.

" I need something to help immobilize the leg. He moves and he'll tear it, too. The piece is in deep. Might be against the bone." He shook his head then looked at Pierce. "The jeep is acting like a tourniquet. The minute we lift he's going to bleed like a stuck pig. I need you to hold him still as we lift. Keep his leg still."

"If it's in that deep we might need to cut the piece and leave it in until we can stabilize the leg," Hawkeye said. He made a quick check of Radar's vitals and didn't like them at all. The corporal was trembling slightly from either cold or shock, the surgeon wasn't sure. He hated any delay but didn't see another option.

"I can help," Margaret said coming over. She took Radar's hand in hers as the men prepared to lift. "Radar, listen, you need to focus on me. Can you do that?"

He nodded weakly as she held his hand.

"I know you can," she assured him, moving so she could move quickly once they lifted the car.

A fourth soldier moved in to help lift. Hawkeye would use his weight to hold the leg still. He grabbed a large bandage to press onto the wound as soon as they lifted.

"3...2...1...lift!"

All four lifted at once straining with the effort. Hawkeye kneeled down to see the imbedded piece tear out of the flesh, and together he and Margaret pulled Radar from under the jeep. The corporal tensed and cried out at the movement. His hand flailed weakly until he gripped Margaret's hand so tight she thought for certain he would break her fingers. He peered up into her face for a moment before passing out completely.

Hawkeye moved as quickly as he could, pressing cloth to the now open gash. He groaned as he realized Radar would need at least a dozen stitches to close the wound. Malone came to help splint the leg as the captain pressed bandages to stop the bleeding.

"We need to get him to the 4077 fast. He's losing a lot of blood fast."

Radar was quickly lifted onto a litter and into the waiting ambulance with Hawkeye still pressing down on the large wound.

Potter and others surrounded the ambulance just as it screeched to a halt. The driver had radioed ahead to alert them of Radar's rapidly deteriorating condition and Hawkeye burst out, his hand still pressing down but now the bandage was bright red and covering his hands.

"Move it," Hawkeye exclaimed as the litter was lifted out, keeping pressure on the gash."He's in shock. His pressure's low. Breathing is shallow...He's losing a lot of blood here. Hypothermic...get units of blood now. We need x-rays to find the internal bleeding in his abdomen. "

Margaret was helped out of the ambulance by nurse Bigelow and Major Winchester. She was cold, tired and hungry. Her wrist had gone numb hours ago and she shivered slightly. Bigelow wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and she said thank you.

"Come, Margaret, let us have you attended to," Winchester guided her toward the triage area. "We'll have a look at your wrist and get you warmed before long."

Major Houlihan tried to always be a picture of strength, of resolve and she knew many people thought of her as hard. Very few ever saw through her carefully placed armor. However she wasn't afraid to show her softer side with patients and at times friends who might need it. After the fiasco with her nurses using her tent for a rendezvous between a nurse and her husband, they were more able to come to her.

Margaret allowed herself to be attended by Winchester. She couldn't help glancing toward the o.r.. She didn't remember many times where she'd felt so useless as she had today. All her strengths and compassion were of little use as she'd sat by Radar, holding his hand, as his condition deteriorated. Margaret was more angry with herself when it was apparent he was hurt much worse than she had thought. But then he hadn't realized...or perhaps he did but didn't say anything...in that aspect he was a typical man.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and she shook her head slightly to focus her tired eyes on the concerned face of Winchester.

"Perhaps you'd be more comfortable resting in your tent, Margaret," he told her in his softest tense. He had already considered what argument she might offer and added," I can personally let you know when he's out of surgery. "

"No," she replied, though her voice was flat with fatigue. "I promised him I would stay close and I keep my promises."

"Very well." Charles sighed trying not to yield to the temptation to roll his eyes. "Then will you at least rest on a cot in the post op? You're still very close."

To this Margaret agreed. She knew she wouldn't do anyone any favors by collapsing. Ever the gentleman, Winchester offered her his arm to lean on. Too tired to refuse, she smiled and gratefully accepted. Once in post-op, she was thankful there were only a few patients being tended. The cot nearest the doors to the surgical room was the one she claimed. Once sitting she sipped a glass of offered cool water then couldn't resist lying her head on the pillow.

Margaret was startled awake by a gentle but firm tap to her shoulder. She sat up so quickly the room swam.

"Easy, Major," came the reassuring voice of Col. Potter.

When she was steady she focused on his tired face. She sighed with obvious relief as he'd waken her from a disturbing dream; one where she'd seen Radar die before help had arrived. He'd spoken no words, only stared at her with eyes condemning her for not being able to help him. She rubbed her face in her hands to clear the image as it gratefully faded.

"Colonel," she summoned a smile for him. She was quickly sliding behind her mask once more. "How is Corporal O'Reilly?"

"I won't lie to you," Potter said. "He was touch and go for awhile. He's still having trouble breathing but we were able to stop the bleeding. His leg looks about like something from a horror film. He's still unconscious but we have him on some serious antibiotics and painkillers." He didn't tell her yet about how Radar had stopped breathing altogether or how hard it had been to get him breathing again. Nor did he tell her about the serious bruises from the young man apparently landing hard on the ground, bruises on his back near his kidneys. They would need to keep an eye on him over the next few weeks to see that his kidneys were functioning properly.

"I felt so useless," she confessed. "He was fading while I could do nothing but watch and kept him talking to keep him awake."

"From what Pierce told me it looked like a bad situation all around. But whatever you did you helped keep him alive." He leaned forward, not caring about maintaining the stern commanding officer image and hugged her. "Both my kids are back here where you belong. "

"I learned quite a bit about him yesterday," she confessed softly.

"Like what?" Potter was curious.

He's a lot stronger than we think he is. Smarter, resourceful. I won't go into detail, but, I think he's seen a lot of the worst of people so when he attaches to someone, they should feel privileged. I certainly won't look at him as just another corporal after this."

Potter listened to her and wondered what could have gone on between the pair.

Margaret was given light duty for the next few days to which she would complain profusely. The major found herself checking on the injured corporal more than was necessary. She knew he was being well taken care of but she had promised him. Radar remained in and out of consciousness, barely recognizing where he was. At one point he had a panic attack, obviously disoriented but his eyes never opened. He wouldn't respond to the colonel, Hawkeye or even Father Mulcahy's gentle tones. One mumbled word was understood...'Major?!"

Margaret shouldered her way past the startled priest to sit on the bed beside the corporal.

"D...don't! Don't leave me alone!"he was pleading. "You promised! "

"I haven't left you, corporal," she said gently, taking his hand in her uninjured hand. "I'm right here. You're going to be just fine." She talked softly to him using the same tone she had while he'd been under the jeep until he gradually calmed down. A sedative was added to the I.V. line and he was soon asleep once more. But even then she continued to hold his hand.

When she glanced into Mulcahy's smiling face he spoke quietly, " I believe you may have missed your calling as a therapist. Sidney Freeman couldn't have done better."

Two days later Radar finally opened his eyes and awoke with clarity. He recognized the ceiling of post-op and could hear hushed voices of people around him. The first thing he noticed was he was warm while his stomach growled announcing he was VERY hungry. The second was Major Houlihan asleep in a chair beside him.

"Major? Ma'am, sir?" He said twice before she lifted her head.

She smiled warmly at him as she told Nurse Bigelow to find Col. Potter.

"Would you like a drink of water, corporal?" Margaret asked.

He nodded and she poured a cup for him. As he drank, he was watching her.

"Thank you," he said. "For everything. I'm sorry I got us crashed in the first place."

"The crash was NOT your fault, " she told him sternly. "You didn't shoot mortars at us, did you?"

"Well, no...but..."

"The soldiers who found us told me the area where we went off the road was shelled so heavily there wasn't much of a road left. If we hadn't gone off, we would probably have been hit. Your coffin would be on its way to Ottumwa, rather than here in a hospital bed. And my father would be burying his daughter. So the way I see it, you saved our lives, Corporal."

He seemed to consider her words for a few minutes before smiling in return.

"Doesn't feel like much of a better thing right now." He shifted as he tried to find a more comfortable position.

"Yes, you will be in a bed for awhile but you should make a full recovery."

She smiled as she saw the nod.

"So, Radar, tell me again how I remind you of your sister."

The End

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading this story. Please leave a review.

Sgt. Steve McGarrett is from Hawaii Five-O, Lt. Edward Malone from The Lost World and Sgt. Raymond Shaw is from The Manchurian Candidate. All three characters have been returned unharmed to their respective programs. Just having a bit of fun borrowing everyone!

A tiny piece of MASH trivia: the paintings in Col. Potter's office were actually done by Harry Morgan. Also Gary Burghoff has done a number of wildlife paintings and is quite a talented artist.

Thank you again for reading and if you have any helpful comments please leave them.

Just curious: Who was your favorite MASH character? Mine was Radar followed by Frank Burns but everyone played a great part on one of the best TV shows.


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